The Awakening/Archive5
<< I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X >> blockquote“Well, now that Tifa is gone and hopefully no one is going to get beat up, I say we all just try to calm down and remember that there are still children in the vicinity.” Nanaki finally got up and slowly padded over to where Reeve and Vincent stood. “It would be a shame to get them in an uproar over this, don’t you think?” The lion sized beast stretched and yawned, revealing sharp white teeth as that single eye closed and then reopened. “And I will protect them at all cost as both of you know.” Yes, that’s why the feline lazed around 7th Heaven all the time; to protect those he considered family. His flaming tail twitched as he padded over to the bar, gracefully hopping on to a stool. “We’re all adults here so let’s act like it.” A nod was given to that as he raised a paw to lick it slightly. “Say, Zack…” That single eye glanced around a moment as he looked for the lively fellow. “Could I get some water? I’m feeling rather parched at the moment.” He said, continuing to lick his paw. Reeve was ready for any hit Tifa could throw at him, which is why he was surprised when one didn't come. It wasn't until he heard Cloud's voice that he knew he wasn't getting hit today. Looking, he saw the ex-Soldier had a hold on Tifa and wasn't letting go. And yes, that was probably the worst time for a morbid joke like that, but Reeve couldn't help but grunt, shaking his head. The tension began to die down as Tifa was dragged out the door. He exhaled strongly just as Nanaki had risen. Listening to his cat-like friend talk, he completely agreed. I'm sorry, Reeve... Echoed in his mind. Reeve looked down at his feline companion, who was still attached to him. Don't... He thought, before looking to Nanaki and Vincent. “I...I apologize for all that. It seems...we were all a bit high-strung and....” He sighed. There was really nothing he could say that would not sound like an excuse. He shook his head. “It doesn't take much for men and women to turn into children, does it?” He stepped a little closer to Vincent as he noticed Zack making his way behind the bar. “I hope you'll still--” “Yes.” Vincent cut him off. After all this, it seemed what he was going to do next was accompany Reeve to Midgar. He didn't want to see the man - or Tifa, for that matter – like this. He even felt bad about what he did. Rushing water was quickly heard as Zack was pouring some into a small metal dish for their four-legged friend. He set it out on the bar, not saying a word. He then looked over at Starla, who was in the same place Vincent had left her before all this started. She looked a bit...shaken. Well, of course! She just saw a bunch of people she had just met a couple of weeks ago and a man she didn't even know start a fight almost out of nowhere. He walked back to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. “H-hey. You didn't do anything. It's not your fault.” Reeve still felt horrible, looking around at all this. “I'm sorry...” He said quietly, looking down. He could probably say it again and again and not feel better. Anyways, he was here for a reason. “Zack? I'm afraid I will need your assistance as well.” He saw Zack nod, then look at Starla before letting go of her and joining Reeve. As he turned to leave, he heard footsteps. “Wait!” He heard Starla call. He looked back to see she was following him. “If ShinRa has really changed...I want to see it. Just as well, I'd like to see those 'Deepground' files.” Reeve thought for a moment, but it was hardly an issue. He nodded once, then turned and left without another word. He silently lapped up the water that was placed before him listening to what everyone had to say. He was sick of all the ShinRa talk and worried about Miss. Violet as well, but he felt he was already doing his part to help her with whatever it was they were conducting in Midgar. Once finishing his drink, he turned to get a glimpse of Reeve leaving with Cait Sith still clinging to his leg. A light sigh was given as he hopped down from the stool, slowly padding over to where Vincent stood. “Yes, I think it is best if the both of them go for now.” A nod was given to that as he now looked up to the cloaked man, a curious look crossing furry features. “Cloud was right, Miss. Violet always has valid reason behind the things she does; after all, she was born into this world with the power to protect the planet – it was her destiny just as Chaos was yours.” He paused for a moment as a brow rose. “And we cannot escape what we were destined to become no matter how bad it may be, how much it hurts, and how much we despise it.” A shake of the head was given as he then padded over to Zack and Starla. “As for you two-” He began as his tail twitched just a bit. “Behave, cooperate and try not to destroy anything.” He nodded lightly as a purr was heard. “And Zack is right for once; it’s not your fault Miss. Starla – I have learned that worry will put humans on edge faster than anything.” He nuzzled her leg for a moment before turning back towards the bar. “And we’re all worried and confused at the moment but by going to Midgar you will hopefully find the answers you seek to put your minds at ease.” He stopped for a moment, turning back to Vincent. “But at the first sigh of trouble don’t stop to ask questions – just get out of there, all of you, and bring Miss. Violet back.” ---- timestamp="1271384391" author="@tifa" source="/post/68/thread"blockquotecolor="990000"Vincent listened to Nanaki intently, nodding in agreement at things. As he heard that last statement, Vincent looked down at the furry philosopher. b“There's no question about that.”/b He uttered before making his way out after Reeve./font color="3399FF"Zack nodded at Nanaki, absorbing all this. Midgar was always the center of everything. The beginning, as well as the end. He was going to see this through, and he wasn't going to let Starla get hurt. He put his arm around her shoulders again, not leaving until she did./font color="CC99FF"Starla listened to what Nanaki had to say, and took it to heart a bit. After all, Reeve and Tifa both seemed like good people, it's just...the wrong place and the wrong time. That always seemed to be the problem. She then nodded. b“Thank you.”/b She said, patting Nanaki on the head before looking at Zack. b“And thank you, too./b” before leaving with Zack./font color="3333cc"Reeve was walking along outside, carrying Cait Sith in his arm. ib“Yer lucky she didn't hit you, mate.”/b/i The cat stated, looking up at his friend and 'master'. The man just laughed. b“I would have felt better if she did.”/b The cat shook his head. ib“Speak for yerself! Ya should have let me take the hit. That way, it'd be less on ya.”/b/i Reeve then shook his head. b“You had already taken enough hits. I couldn't let you.”/b He stopped, being careful not to go too far. Cait then looked up at Reeve and laughed a bit. ib“That's the thing about ya, Reeve. Yer too nice to people.”/b/i Reeve laughed a bit at that. b“I wouldn't be Reeve if I wasn't, would I?”/b This time, the cat laughed./font color="990000"b“Feeling better, Reeve?”/b Vincent asked, seeing that Reeve and his cat were laughing. Reeve turned to him, still smiling a bit. Vincent was relieved at that, but he didn't show it. color="3333cc"b“I know I keep saying it, but I'm sorry for the way I acted. I-”/b/font Vincent didn't want to hear it. He held his hand up. b“Forget it.”/b He said before heading on./font color="3333cc"Reeve sighed. iHe's got you there./i Cait thought. color="3399FF"b“Reeve!”/b/font He looked back towards the bar, seeing Zack and Starla running towards him. As they stopped, he nodded. b"Are you sure you're going to Midgar after Tifa wanted you to stay?”/b Zack shook his head. color="3399FF"b“You said you needed me, right? That means I'm going.”/b/font Reeve nodded, then looked to the girl – Starla, he believed her name was. b“Kind of a bad first impression there, huh? I'm Reeve Tuesti, Head of Urban Development for the new ShinRa Inc.”/b He introduced himself, holding out his free hand. Starla took his hand and shook it lightly. color="CC99FF"b“Starla Quad, Ex-SOLDIER, 2nd Class. So, the toy cat's yours?”/b/font Reeve nodded, but then turned. b“We have a ways back to Midgar. If we get going now, we can make it there before sunset."/b/font color="3399FF"b“Man, we have to walk?”/b Zack groaned, running to catch up with Reeve, who was now walking ahead with Vincent. Starla ran alongside him, laughing. color="CC99FF"b“Think you can keep up?”/b/font She asked before speeding ahead of him. b“You bet!”/b He said quietly, before speeding up himself./font/blockquote/quote ---- author="@violet" source="/post/69/thread" timestamp="1271556287"blockquoteiHojo’s abandoned testing ground – undisclosed location on the outskirts of Midgar…/i face="Century"color="Blue"Shimmering hues watched the smoking rubble that was once an abandoned town as a light sigh passed dark lips. b“Hojo-”/b Was said low as she knelt a top the boulder she was standing on. b“He used to test creatures born from Mako and Jenova cells out here.”/b A light pause was given as she looked down to Elena who was leaning against the hood of the ShinRa truck. b“And no one knew about this place; Rufus, Tseng, not even president ShinRa himself.”/b A shrug was given as she stood and hopped down from the boulder, looking to the rubble once more. b“The only reason I know about it is because I got curious and followed a shipment of weapons out one night. So many innocent lives were lost here – I could begin to tell you stories, but there would be no end to them.”/b She nodded lightly now stepping over to where Elena stood. b“All the more reason for me to destroy it, no?”/b She smiled warmly as blades were shifted into their resting position against the back of her arms as a booted foot came to rest upon t he truck’s bumper./font/font face="Tahoma"color="Yellow"Amber hues surveyed the disaster that lay before her, and then they slowly moved to the one who caused it. She listened to everything Violet had to say before shaking her head as arms slowly crossed. b“Hojo was a pretty sneaky character – none of this surprises me at all. The fiend didn’t deserve the death he was granted.”/b She paused to think for a moment as Violet came over, a light smile now crossing pink lips. b“So do you feel any better now?”/b Head tilted slightly as she reached up to tuck a few light tresses behind her ear. b“I’m kind of glad you told me what happened the other day because Reeve wouldn’t – and I was worried about the both of you.”/b A nod was given to that as she pushed away from the truck, heading to the driver’s side door. b“Speaking of which, it’s getting late and didn’t you say you had a meeting to go to?”/b Was asked as the door was pulled open and she crawled in./font/font face="Century"color="Blue"b“No Elena, he didn’t and that’s why burns me up.”/b Words hatefully passed lips, not aimed at her fellow coworker of course, but towards that rat Hojo. A light sigh passed lips once more as she looked to the disaster she created and then back to the small girl that stood next to her. b“To be honest, no I don’t feel any better – in fact I feel weaker but it was good to get the rage out of my system.”/b She gave a nod watching Elena head for the drives side of the truck. Hues looked to the watch strapped around her wrist as she shook her head. b“Yeah, I almost forgot about that – so I’ll be a little late.”/b She just shrugged as her foot fell from the bumper to the ground. b“They’ll live.”/b A smirk crossed lips as she stepped around, pulling the passenger’s door open and hopping in. The door was pulled shut with a thud before she reached around to grab the seatbelt and clip it securely into place. b“Well, you know how tight lipped Reeve can be. When I tell him not to tell anybody anything, he takes it a little too seriously – and I like him that way.”/b She nodded in approval, now searching the cab for her cigarettes./font/font face="Tahoma"color="Yellow"The key was slid into the ignition and turned, bringing the vehicle to life as she chuckled to Violet’s comment about the meeting. b“True that, true that.”/b Was said as the truck was shifted into drive and slowly turned around so that they were heading towards the main gate of the complex. b“That’s what I like about you Violet – you don’t get any hurry until ya feel like it but things still get done when they need to be.”/b A pause was given as she put her seat belt on as well and shifted just a bit, putting both hands back on the steering wheel. b“Well, that and the fact your power is an absolutely amazing gift.”/b She thought for a moment before continuing. b“I didn’t believe it when you said you could have turned the ShinRa building and sector one into a crater if Reeve hadn’t of shocked you – but when you brought me out here and showed me… All I could think was ‘WOW’!”/b She said with a smile. b“And I thought it was only men that held power like that, ya know SOLIDER and the likes.”/b A giggle was heard as she just shook her head. b“But you really put women up there. I don’t feel like such an inferior anymore.”/b/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"Upon finding her smokes, she removed one and pressed the filter between sore, swollen lips chuckling. b“It’s not an amazing gift Elena, it’s a painful curse.”/b She said, now sounding a lot like Vincent. b“It has its drawbacks and I’m not all that fond of them you know.”/b The cigarette was lit as she rolled the window down a bit, taking in the dry afternoon air. Even after being abandoned for so long, the complex still reeked of death and despair which only made her sigh. b“This place will be forever tainted; too many souls were lost here.”/b She thought, still listening to Elena speak. b“Well, that’s another reason I asked you to bring me here. People like Sephiroth and Angeal; they’re not the only strength ShinRa has. There are us and people like Reeve and Faremis too and without those people, SOLDIER would be nothing but a bunch of testosterone driven war mongers who want to do nothing more than destroy everything in their path.”/b She kinda hated to talk bad about Sephiroth and Angeal, but it was kind of the truth. If they had no one to take orders from, hell knows what kind of chaos they would take part in; after all, they were men. b“It’s all one big chain reaction and if a link is broken, bad things happen or just flat out nothing happens at all.”/b Head tilted lightly as she looked to Elena with a warm smile. b“So, I’m glad I made you feel better, that will make one of us.”/b/font/font/blockquote/quote ---- timestamp="1271557508" source="/post/70/thread" author="@violet"blockquoteface="Tahoma"color="Yellow"She listened to Violet’s words of wisdom as the truck sped past the front gate which meant it wasn’t much further to the main road heading into Midgar. b“With the good comes the bad I suppose, that’s how thinks always work out. Take our job for instance; I love it to death but Reno on the other hand.”/b A sigh passed pink lips as she just shook her head. b“Ohhhhh he just gets under my skin sometimes.”/b Light brows knitted together at the thought of how obnoxious he could be sometimes. b“And I have to agree with you – not just SOLDIER, but men in general and kinda boneheaded.”/b She then thought for a moment as a smile crossed her lips. b“Well, Doctor Faremis isn’t really all that bad…”/b Words were low, but still loud enough as she turned on to the main road hitting a few bumps. b“But that’s just wishful thinking though, I know how those scientist types are – if you’re living, breathing and show any signs of being cute they won’t take any interest in you.”/b Then a giggle was heard. b“He is kinda hot though…”/b Amber hues blinked as she saw the Midgarian skyline slowly come into view. b“Not much longer now.”/b She thought, letting a booted foot weigh down the accelerator a little more as she shifted, glancing to Violet. She took note of all the bandaged cuts and bruises as well as swollen lips and lethargic behavior. b“I’m kind of surprised Sephiroth beat you up as bad as he did.”/b She said, quickly changing the subject. b“Is he really still that strong?”/b Was asked and the dirt road became asphalt and she took note of the different signs ahead./font/font face="Century"color="Blue"b“Yeah, Reno is just Reno. You kinda have to know how to deal with his antics sometimes, but other than that he’s not so bad. Believe it or not, he’ll put his life on the line for you if need be.”/b A light nod was given to that as the truck shook when the road made its transition from dirt to asphalt. She cringed as pain shot though her body – she was still sore and the bumpy ride wasn’t helping her much at all. b“Take it easy Elena.”/b Was said as she shifted a bit, taking a hit off her smoke. She knew the girl meant well and didn’t want Violet to be late, but Angeal and company weren’t going anywhere and she’d like to get back to the ShinRa building in one piece. b“So you like Faremis huh? Well good luck with that one.”/b And she just facepalmed. b“Not even gonna touch that one…”/b She thought to herself as that amused look faded at the mention of Sephiroth. b“Yeah, he got me pretty good didn’t he?”/b Was said as she let her head fall back against the seat. b“He’s still strong after being in cryogen for a year so that means he’s only going to get stronger which is why we need to get this Jenova bullshit out of his head before he fully recovers.”/b The truck slowly came to a stop at an intersection which connected to the main drag leading to the ShinRa building. b“And I’m gonna need your help.”/b/font/font face="Tahoma"color="Yellow"b“Reno is just annoying…”/b Elena muttered, still listening to Violet. Maybe all of what she said about him was true, but that still didn’t make up for the fact he was just a jerk, but she let the subject drop for the time being. Hues looked left and then right before she turned the vehicle onto the highway, quickly changing lanes as she sped up to keep with the flow of traffic. b“You really do love him don’t you? After everything that’s happened too.”/b A smile was given as she followed the winding road, slowing down as she merged into the turn lane. b“You have a big heart ya know that?”/b She quickly turned into the tunnel leading to the parking garage. The truck slowed down as Elena steered it through the winding tunnel finally stopping at the gate. The window was rolled down as she pulled out her ID card and fed it to the control panel. After a moment, the card was spit out and the large steel doors separated. A booted foot lightly tapped the gas as she pulled in and found a nice parking space close to the elevator. b“I don’t understand all the scientific mumbo jumbo, but just tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it no questions asked.”/b She said, killing the engine and dropping the keys into her blazer pocket./font/font face="Century"color="Blue"b“Yes, I know Reno is annoying, but that’s not my point.”/b She thought, just letting the subject dropped as they pulled into the parking lot. b“My heart isn’t as big as you’d think – it’s actually kind of cold and dark.”/b Was said as she pulled her seat belt off and pushed the door open, grabbing her cigarettes. b“Yes, I love Sephiroth with all my black heart, broken and battered body and badly diminished soul; but despite all that’s happened-”/b Hues fell shut for a moment. b“I will always love him, even if he never regains his memories of our time together.”/b A light frown crossed her lips as she just shook her head and looked to Elena. b“We’ll be going on a trip soon and I need you to pilot ShinRa Two because Reno doesn’t quite know how to fly a state-of-the-art aircraft and he would just spaz at the sight of Sephiroth. Tseng and Rude would too for that matter.”/b She stepped out of the vehicle and pushed the door shut, looking over the roof at the girl. b“It’s a simple task, but it would mean a great deal to me if you would perform it.”/b/font/font face="Tahoma"color="Yellow"She slowly pushed the door open, listening to Violet as she got out and stretched for a moment. b“True loves never fades, withers or dies…”/b Was said as a smile crossed pink lips. Elena pushed the door shut with her hip. b“That won’t be a problem; I’ll just tell Tseng you put me on assignment for an extended period and if he has any questions he can talk to you.”/b A nod was given to that as she walked around the back of the truck, heading towards the elevator. b“After all, you are second in command of The Department of Public Safety.”/b She paused for a moment to press the button on the elevator. b“But I like The Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department much better.”/b She shrugged. b“I guess they had to shorten it some how.”/b Was said as the elevator doors opened. b“After you!”/b Elena said with a smile./font/font face="Century"color="Blue"b“Public safety my ass; more like public destruction. Elena, we’re The Turks – always have been, always will be.”/b She said, pulling the girl into the elevator as she stepped past. b“Screw all the technical bullshit, we are what we are and that’s all she wrote.”/b A nod was given to that as she pressed button number 57, prompting the elevator to begin its ascent. b“That’s fine, I can deal with Tseng – he’s the least of my problems at the moment.”/b She said with a sigh, leaning against the railing. b“If you don’t mind, I’m gonna have you sit in on this meeting so that you be better informed on the situation and if anyone objects well, I am your superior after all so send them and their bitching to me.”/b Arms crossed as she waited impatiently for the elevator to stop, the ride up seemed like it was taking forever, but they were late after all but did she care? Not really./font/font/blockquote/quote ---- source="/post/71/thread" timestamp="1271558828" author="@violet"blockquoteface="Tahoma"color="666666"Angeal paced back and fourth up the length of the table as he waited for everyone to show up. Faremis was already there along with Arianah, sitting at the table near the door. The good doctor was leafing over some documents while his assistant just sat silently, staring straight ahead. They were the least of his concern though – he was more worried about Violet. The nurse at the infirmary said she checked out as soon as she woke up and no one has heard from her since. Faremis, Tseng, Reno, Rude – hell, Reeve didn’t even know where she was and that was the scary thought. Both Angeal and Reeve had tried calling her over a dozen times, but it was always the same; her phone was off. He stopped pacing for a moment as hues set on Faremis. b“So you’re sure you haven’t seen or heard from her at all?”/b He asked as he went right back to pacing./font/font face="Book"color="990099"A light sigh was heard as Elliot just shook his head, not looking away from his paperwork. b“I already told you Angeal, the nurse working that shift said Violet was carried in unconscious by Reeve and Elena.”/b A pause was given as he leafed through a few pages as if he were looking for something important. b“And once she awoke, she checked out plain and simple.”/b He said, finally looking up to the head of ShinRa’s military department. b“I’ve not heard from her since she caused a system malfunction in the intensive care unit.”/b He said as a frustrated look crossed pale features. He didn’t want to even think about the data loss and what it took to repair Arianah’s short term memory drive. b“But I’m sure she’ll be here.”/b He said, going back to his paperwork. b“She’s probably off somewhere taking some time to think things over – I know she’s having a hard time accepting things now, but it’ll get better.”/b/font /font face="Tahoma"color="666666"Brows knitted together as he listened to Faremis babble before shaking his head. i“Now I see just why Violet doesn’t like him…”/i He thought shaking his head. i“And she isn’t going to accept anything until Sephiroth gets his full memory back and is of sound mind.”/i Arms slowly crossed as he stopped to stare out the large window that was pretty much the back wall of the ShinRa meeting room. It was getting dark now and Midgar didn’t look right only half lit up – but he knew that the last four sectors would be up and running soon. Even before meteor hit, the city was always under construction but it just wasn’t this intensive. i“Some things never change.”/i His thoughts continued as he stared aimlessly out the window awaiting the others arrival./font/font color="3399FF"b“So, ah, Reeve...,”/b Zack began, putting his hands behind his head, b“Where we going?”/b They were all walking down some random hall in the ShinRa Building, as far as he was concerned. It had been a while since he'd walked these halls on his own – and it wasn't even ithese/i halls. Still, this was undoubtedly ShinRa. He glanced over at Vincent, who probably didn't care about the building, just what was going on. He then looked at Starla, who hadn't even seen Midgar since before everything started eight years ago. The girl was gonna go into shock with all this./font color="3333cc"b“A meeting.”/b Reeve replied, not looking back or stopping. He was holding on to Cait Sith, still feeling quite protective of the little doll. b“A briefing, you might call it. Catching you all up on things, discussing what's next...That sort of thing.”/b He said offhandedly./font color="990000"b“Who's going be there?”/b Vincent asked in his usual tone. He saw Reeve shake his head, a bad sign. color="3333cc"b“You'll see, we're almost there.”/b/font Vincent sighed. He didn't like surprises. bcolor="CC99FF"“Um...Mr. Tuesti?”/font/b He heard Starla behind him. Reeve laughed a bit, color="3333cc"b“Please, just call me Reeve.”/b/font He requested, followed up by Cait Sith. color="3333cc"ib“It's been a while since he's been called 'Mister', lass.”/b/i/font Vincent kind of smirked at this. color="CC99FF"b“I see, um, sorry. Reeve. Is there going to be anyone from SOLDIER there?”/b/font He heard her ask. It's natural that she'd ask, but Vincent didn't like the idea of them being there. There was a long pause before Reeve finally answered. color="3333cc"b“Most likely.”/b/font Vincent just blinked. She actually got him to say something, though it wasn't much. He looked to Zack, who just shrugged, grinning./font color="3333cc"At the door, they all stopped. Reeve stepped forward, causing the door to open before looking back to the others. b“This is it.”/b He said, leading everyone in./font face="Tahoma"color="666666"Hues blinked a few times as he heard Reeve and company enter the room – and he hoped like hell Violet was with them. A heavy sigh rolled off his chest as he turned, spotting four people, none of which came anywhere close to the tarty Turk. b“Welcome to ShinRa’s meeting room.”/b He said, slowly making his way across the large room. b“Not much to see here, but the view is quite nice.”/b Was mumbled as he tried to break the tension that seemed to fill the room – and then a dark brow slowly rose as he examined the tall spiky headed kid. b“Puppy?”/b He said as head tilted slightly. b“Well hot damn, hey there Zacky!”/b He said, now stepping over to give the kid a big bear hug. b“Long time no see, how ya been?”/b Was asked as he stepped back, now taking a look at the girl that stood next to him. b“Oh and this must be your girlfriend.”/b He took a moment to examine her and took note of the strange glow her eyes held. i“Signature mark of SOLDIER.”/i He thought, looking back to Zack. b“She’s awful pretty so tell me, how did she end up with you?”/b He said jokingly as he patted Zack on the back./font/font/blockquote/quote << I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X >>